ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Carbohydrate Components of the Holoparasite Cistanche deserticola General Characteristics of the Underground Part

R. Naran, A. Ebringerová, and D. Badgaa

Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK-842 38 Bratislava

Abstract: The underground part of the holoparasite Cistanche deserticola Y. C. Ma. was subjected to composition analysis. Lipophilic substances and proteins comprise each nearly 15 % of the dry mass of the drug. The plant is rich in proteins and exhibits in comparison to wood a lower lignin content. A sirupy material which is mostly extractable with hot aqueous methanol represents 60 % of the dry drug. Only a part of this extract (83.8 %) comprises free sugars and sugar alcohols with glucose, mannose, and mannitol as the main components. The dialyzable carbohydrate fraction (DS) extracted from the methanol-insoluble drug residue (MIR) by cold water contains (w/ %) mannose (14.9), mannitol (30.8), glucose (25.3), glucitol (8.2), and saccharose (6.8). Arabinose, galactose, xylose, and rhamnose are present in minor amounts. The sugar composition of MIR suggests the presence of a variety of carbohydrate polymers. An amylose-rich starch fraction was extracted from MIR with DMSO and characterized by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 491a35.pdf

Chemical Papers 49 (1) 35–38 (1995)